Canadian Studies Course Syllabi Bank
Dear Colleague,
This spring ACSUS is a launching a comprehensive cross-disciplinary survey of course syllabi in Canadian studies. The project is linked to a curriculum development initiative aimed at establishing a resource center on the ACSUS website. The portal will offer individuals and institutions access to a comprehensive database of Canadian studies development resources, including course syllabi.
Within the next 6—8 months, this resource center will feature a wide set of tools designed to facilitate efforts at integrating Canadian studies course content into the curriculum. A major component will be the Canadian studies course syllabi bank, encompassing a broad range of disciplines and levels. Additionally, an annotated bibliography linked to the syllabi bank will provide further support and guidance in course and program development initiatives.
Course syllabi in Canadian studies are currently being sought from the following disciplines:
ABORIGINAL PEOPLES • ARTS, VISUAL and PERFORMING • BUSINESS and ECONOMICS • COMMUNICATIONS—MEDIA—INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY • ENVIRONMENT and NATURAL RESOURCES • GEOGRAPHY • HISTORY • INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS and DEFENSE • LITERATURE in ENGLISH • GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS • PUBLICPOLICY • SOCIOLOGY and SOCIAL ISSUES • LITERATURE in FRENCH • WOMENS’ STUDIES & GENDER STUDIES
And the following levels:
(1) Introductory/lower level Canadian Studies Courses
(2) More Specialized Upper-Division Canadian Studies Courses
(3) Comparative or Cross-National Courses
Section chairs for each discipline will review submitted syllabi and use the following criteria for selection: degree of syllabus development, level of the course, theoretical perspective, and institutional home of the instructor.
Syllabus development. The primary question guiding this point is how helpful the syllabus would be to other instructors preparing an outline for a new course. We are seeking syllabi that are innovative, and that utilize methods or conceptual frameworks that may help guide newcomers. Although not all syllabi will be equally “imaginative,” we must, however, look beyond syllabi designed around one specific text. While such a syllabus would be informative, the syllabi we are seeking should draw on a variety of resources to qualify.
Level of the course. To ensure that the syllabi bank includes examples of material from a number of stages, we are seeking syllabi from three levels: (1) “Introductory/lower level courses; (2) Upper-level courses – courses designed for students possessing a familiarity with the subject matter; and (3) Comparative courses focusing on cross-national perspectives.
Institutional affiliation. In an effort to represent a broad constituency, we seek syllabi from both Canadian and American instructors and educational institutions, as well as from institutions of different sizes and locations
What Makes an Effective Syllabus?
In the introduction to his edited volume of Canadian studies course syllabi for the American Political Science Association, Greg Mahler identified a number of qualities that constitute an “outstanding syllabus.” These qualities have cross disciplinary applicability and have thus been listed below.
Course objectives. Why are we here? What do we hope to accomplish over the term? What will students know three months from now that they do not know now? It may be obvious to me, standing in the front of the class, what I hope the students will learn over the course of the term, but it may be less obvious to my students.
Known expectations. A syllabus is, in fact, a kind of a social contract, and it is helpful to let students know what will be expected of them. While circumstances may develop in which an instructor is unable to keep up with the pace (s)he anticipated for the academic term, this is still a useful goal. It may also happen that new material will need to be added along the way. However, not only do students appreciate knowing when examinations will take place, what the components of their grade will be, how much reading needs to be done the week before homecoming, what specific reading must be done by what specific date, and the like, but it can be argued that a principle of fundamental fairness would suggest that it is a good idea to do this. As instructors we do not like to have our colleagues drop surprises in our laps; there is no reason to expect that our students should like to live this way, either.
It should also be noted in this regard that in this day and age it is useful in a broad range of circumstances to "fill in the blanks" in many dimensions of a course in ways that many of us never thought would be necessary. Explicit statements about plagiarism, attendance policy, strict application of due-dates, and the like are helpful to students who care, and are helpful to faculty when they have to deal with students who do not care.
An outline of the subject matter. A syllabus for an introductory course in Canadian Government should demonstrate the breadth and inclusiveness of the topic, as well as indicating the wide range of subjects that are included within that broad label. This is equally true for more specialized courses, too.
As a reference work in its own right. Some syllabi do far more than simply outline the subjects to be included in the course or list reading assignments. They also list optional reading, or even other resources that might be appropriate should the student want to do further exploration on his/her own.
Submission Procedure
All syllabi must be submitted as attachments by email or submitted on a computer disk. If you would like to submit your syllabus for review and inclusion in the ACSUS syllabi bank, please ensure that you include a short description of the course, the discipline, and the course level (introductory/lower level; upper level; comparative). Deadline for submissions is June 1, 2004.